NBA Hall of Famer says Carmelo Anthony should consider coming off the bench

On Friday, before the Thunder defeated the Timberwolves in Oklahoma City, Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady became arguably the highest profile observer to advocate for Carmelo Anthony to come off of the bench for the Thunder.

McGrady’s assessment came just one day after Anthony responded with a “Hell No” when asked if the struggling Thunder should consider a lineup change. The strong response was considered by many to be a refusal of Anthony to accept what could be considered a demotion.

The noise has gotten louder as the Thunder sputtered to an 8-12 record and people began wondering what needed to change.

Appearing on ESPN’s The Jump with Rachel Nichols, McGrady, who is currently working as an analyst for ESPN, advocated for the move, using Dwyane Wade’s decision to come off of the bench for the Cleveland Cavaliers as justification for making the call.

“I think the flexibility it gives their team, in terms of more shots for Paul George—put him in a position where he can excel with these guys because right now, he’s not being who he is as a playmaker, as a scorer,” McGrady said.

“Having [Carmelo] out there, having all three of those guys out there, they have a stagnant offense.”

McGrady also says that he believes that “less is more” for the Thunder as it relates to shots, and by having one less shot-taker on the floor, it could open things up for George.

It’s something that everybody has been thinking, which is why Anthony’s not even seeming to be open to the idea resonated with a lot of people.

Also appearing on the show was Amin Elhassan, another ESPN regular. Elhassan raised the counter argument, saying that the Thunder’s biggest issues haven’t necessarily been related to the personnel or how they mesh, necessarily, but more so how they execute in the second half of games. To Elhassan’s point, the Thunder have a double-digit point differential in the first half of games, compared to a minus-17 in the game’s second halves.

“Even if Melo doesn’t start, he will play 35 minutes, he will get starter’s minutes,” McGrady said.

“I think for the balance, though, allow [Russell Westbrook] to get in the rhythm and let him be who he is, or who he was last season, allow Paul George to have more touches, be more of a playmaker, allow russ to play off the ball,” he said.

McGrady raises some interesting points. And what was more interesting, in hindsight, is how Anthony performed in Friday night’s game. He took just nine shots.

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